SS William H. Welch

History
United States
Name	William H. Welch
Namesake	William H. Welch
Owner	War Shipping Administration (WSA)
Operator	T.J. Stevenson & Co., Inc.
Ordered	as type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MCE hull 953
Awarded	30 January 1942
Builder	Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland
Cost	$1,064,265
Yard number	2103
Way number	9
Laid down	31 January 1943
Launched	10 March 1943
Completed	31 March 1943
Identification	Call sign: KKNL; ;
Fate	Wrecked 26 February 1944
General characteristics
Class & type	Liberty ship; type EC2-S-C1, standard;
Tonnage	10,865 LT DWT; 7,176 GRT;
Displacement	3,380 long tons (3,434 t) (light); 14,245 long tons (14,474 t) (max);
Length	441 feet 6 inches (135 m) oa; 416 feet (127 m) pp; 427 feet (130 m) lwl;
Beam	57 feet (17 m)
Draft	27 ft 9.25 in (8.4646 m)
Installed power	2 × Oil fired 450 °F (232 °C) boilers, operating at 220 psi (1,500 kPa); 2,500 hp (1,900 kW);
Propulsion	1 × triple-expansion steam engine, (manufactured by Ellicott Machine Corp., Baltimore, Maryland); 1 × screw propeller;
Speed	11.5 knots (21.3 km/h; 13.2 mph)
Capacity	562,608 cubic feet (15,931 m3) (grain); 499,573 cubic feet (14,146 m3) (bale);
Complement	38–62 USMM; 21–40 USNAG;
Armament	Varied by ship; Bow-mounted 3-inch (76 mm)/50-caliber gun; Stern-mounted 4-inch (102 mm)/50-caliber gun; 2–8 × single 20-millimeter (0.79 in) Oerlikon anti-aircraft (AA) cannons and/or,; 2–8 × 37-millimeter (1.46 in) M1 AA guns;

SS William H. Welch was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after William H. Welch, an American physician, pathologist, bacteriologist, and medical-school administrator. He was one of the "Big Four" founding professors at the Johns Hopkins Hospital. He was the first dean of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and was also the founder of the Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health, the first school of public health in the country.

Construction

William H. Welch was laid down on 31 January 1943, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MCE hull 953, by the Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland; she was launched on 10 March 1943.^[1]^[2]

History

She was allocated to the T.J. Stevenson & Co., Inc., on 31 March 1943.^[4]

On 26 February 1944, she was wrecked in Black Bay, Fura Island, at the entrance to Loch Ewe, Scotland, during a heavy storm. Only five of her merchant men and seven of her armed guard sailors were rescued. She was declard a CTL.^[5]^[6]^[4]

References

^ ^a ^b Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyards 2021.
^ ^a ^b ^c MARCOM.
^ Davies 2004, p. 23.
^ ^a ^b MARAD.
^ Sawyer & Mitchell 1985, p. 44.
^ Williams 2014, p. 55.

Bibliography

"Bethlehem-Fairfield, Baltimore MD". www.ShipbuildingHistory.com. 7 August 2021. Retrieved 4 August 2025.
Maritime Administration. "William H. Welch". Ship History Database Vessel Status Card. U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Retrieved 4 August 2025.
Davies, James (May 2004). "Specifications (As-Built)" (PDF). p. 23. Retrieved 4 August 2025.
"SS William H. Welch". Retrieved 4 August 2025.
Sawyer, L.A.; Mitchell, W.H. (1985). The Liberty Ships. Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, Great Britain: St. Edmundsbury Press Ltd. ISBN 1850440492.
Williams, Greg H. (2014). The Liberty Ships of World War II. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 9780786479450.

[FOOTNOTEBethlehem-Fairfield_Shipyards2021-1] Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyards 2021.

[FOOTNOTEMARCOM-2] MARCOM.

[FOOTNOTEDavies200423-3] Davies 2004, p. 23.

[FOOTNOTEMARAD-4] MARAD.

[FOOTNOTESawyerMitchell198544-5] Sawyer & Mitchell 1985, p. 44.

[FOOTNOTEWilliams201455-6] Williams 2014, p. 55.

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